Former 'stop Trump' megadonor switches sides

Once a big donor to the anti-Trump movement, billionaire broadcasting executive Stanley Hubbard is now backing the presumptive GOP nominee.

Hubbard, a prolific giver to Republican candidates and causes, will join the advisory committee of Great America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC.

During the primary, Hubbard cut a $10,000 check to the Our Principles PAC, a group that was devoted to defeating Trump.

In an interview on Monday, Hubbard said he was still no fan of Trump, but he said that he viewed him as a better choice than Hillary Clinton. And he called on the party’s donor class, much of which remains deeply skeptical of Trump, to get on board.

“All of my favorite candidates dropped out one by one. We’re down to my least favorite candidate. And my least favorite candidate is better than Hillary Clinton in terms of what’s best for the country,” said Hubbard.

“I’m very happy to get behind Mr. Trump. He’s our best hope at this time,” said Hubbard, who over the years has been a major funder of the Karl Rove-founded American Crossroads. “He’s our candidate. There’s no point in crying about it.”

Hubbard, the founder of Minnesota-based Hubbard Broadcasting, said he’d not yet decided how much to donate to the pro-Trump group.

In the days since Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee, Great America PAC has expanded its ranks. It tapped Ed Rollins, a veteran Republican operative and Ronald Reagan’s 1984 campaign manager, to serve as a top strategist. And it named Amy Pass, a longtime Newt Gingrich fundraiser, as its finance director.